Despite the defensive woes, the Silver and Black churned out good showings from edge rusher Patrick Johnson and rookie UDFA Cian Slone, who notched a combine six solo tackles, three quarterback hits and two sacks.
And behind Jeanty’s impressive start, rookie Mike Washington Jr. upped the ante by bouncing off defenders for a 53-yard scamper to set up Mendoza’s touchdown pass. Washington’s gain was the longest by Raiders player in preseason action since 2017.
“We went [halfback] draw I believe, and it just hit perfectly,” Washington said. “Literally just how it hit in practice, it hit like it did in the game.”
“I know it’s a preseason, but it’s my first game,” Washington added. “And being able to break a long run like that in my first game is dope.”
The Raiders still have more than enough time to fix their mistakes and get more reps for the younger players. With a few days to evaluate the tape, they can see what needs to improve before their joint practice and preseason game against the Houston Texans next week.
“As a team, we’ve got a lot of growth to do,” Kubiak stated. “Starts tomorrow.”